Reading Messages on Fortune-telling: Allowed?

Astrology is an action of jahiliyyah (ignorance)

Astrology , fortune-telling and predicting the future come under the heading of actions of jahiliiyah (ignorance) which Islam came to put an end to and explain that they come under the heading of shirk (associating others with Allah), because of what they involve of believing the fortune tellers and soothsayers who falsely claim to have knowledge of the unseen.

We have previously discussed the prohibition on watching astrology channels , even if one watches them solely for the purpose of entertainment.

Ruling on reading astrology messages and the like

The scholars differed concerning the ruling on reading these and similar messages , which they divided into different categories according to people’s intentions. If someone reads them believing in them, then he is rightfully subject to the warning which says that he has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad and that no prayer will be accepted from him for forty days.

In the case of the one who reads them solely for the purpose of entertainment, and does not believe that the practitioners of witchcraft, soothsayers and charlatans are speaking the truth, then he is sinning by going to where they are, meeting them there, or watching their programs, because this is a kind of approving of them and helping them, because it is well known that these channels are helped by having a large number of viewers, and that pushes them further into misguidance.

There is the fear that the one who watches these programs may be included in the warning that no prayer will be accepted from him for forty days.

In the case of the one who reads the messages that come to him on his mobile phone, and he does not seek them out or go to a website or channel or place that is known for fortune tellers and astrologers – rather he only reads the [unsolicited] messages that come to him – there is no blame on him.

But he should not keep these messages; rather he should erase them immediately, and he has no need to look at them again.

If he looks at them again, or looks repeatedly at them to make sure of their contents or to determine whether they are true or false, or to be certain whether the message is about fortune-telling or not, then this warning does not apply to him, in sha Allah.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

“If he asks that person questions to find out about his situation and what he really is, and he has the ability to determine whether he is telling the truth or lying, this is permissible, as it is proven in as-Sahihayn that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) asked Ibn Sayyad: “Who comes to you?” He said: A truthful one and a liar come to me. He said: “What do you see?” He said: I see a throne on water. He said: “I am concealing something from you.” He said: Ad-dukh, ad-dukh. He said: “Be off with you! You will never go beyond your rank. You are no more than one of the brothers of the soothsayers.” (Fatawa Ibn Taymiyah, 19/62)

And Allah knows best.